


Thorns

by Starfire072302



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Creepy, Danger, Established Alphys/Undyne (Undertale), F/M, Falling In Love, Folklore, Ghosts, Help, Horror, Human Sans (Undertale), Human forms, Human/Monster Romance, Minor Alphys/Undyne (Undertale), Monsters, Mystery, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Papyrus is still taller, Protectiveness, Reader is a BAMF, Reader is a psychic, Reader-Insert, Sans has Telekinesis, Sans is a demon, Sans is still a skeleton, Shapeshifting, Skeleton Puns, Skeletons, Slow Burn, Small Towns, Supernatural Elements, Tall Sans, Tall-ish, Telekinesis, This Is STUPID, Well - Freeform, What Was I Thinking?, Why Did I Write This?, Worried Sans (Undertale), he just has a human form, is this fandom dead, native american folklore, will anyone even read this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-17
Updated: 2019-12-19
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:08:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21829507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starfire072302/pseuds/Starfire072302
Summary: Injured and halfway frozen, (Y/N) wakes up in a snowy forest with a mental block regarding the series of events that led to her terrifying situation. She's rescued by a strange man named Sans with a lazy grin, as well as his equally strange friends who are certainly not what they seem. As (Y/N) tries to piece together what happened to her, strange and unexplainable events are occurring around her in the small town of Snowdin, and they may have more of a connection to Sans and his friends than (Y/N) can possibly imagine. And even if it scares her, they're the only ones who can protect her from the increasingly sinister things that are plaguing the town.
Relationships: Sans (Undertale)/Reader
Comments: 15
Kudos: 57





	1. Snow

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so funny story.
> 
> I watched a playthrough of this game and I thought an AU like this could be fun. I feel like this is going to be cringy, though, and I'm pretty sure this fandom is in the process of dying. Also, it's... kind of a cesspool. I'm sorry, please, nobody kill me, this is just from observation, I'm sure there are parts of the fandom that are sane and cool. I just haven't seen many.

It was cold.

Bitterly cold.

Your head was pounding.

Why did you feel so oddly hot if it was so obviously cold?

The snow was frigid beneath your damp clothing, and the rolling pale clouds hurt your eyes as you opened them. It was snowing, but the brightness of it all forced you to close your eyes again. You opened them slowly after a few seconds, rolling your head to the side to do so. You could make out the skeletal foliage as it hybernated in the temperature drop as well as the snow pasted trunks and roots of trees.

You were in a forest.

You hadn't the slightest idea what forest this was, just that you were cold and alone, and when you tried to sit up, you felt like you were going to expel your stomach through your mouth. You were hardly dressed for the weather you were currently in. You wore a t-shirt and a pair of silky striped pants with no socks or shoes or a jacket. You were wearing pajamas. 

You also found that there was dried blood crusted on your left temple, affirming your suspicions that you'd been hit pretty hard. You suspected that you could have a concussion from the way your vision swam with spots when you tried to move. There were also small abrasions and bruises up your arms, including scratches that looked like they were from human nails. Blood had stained the front of your shirt. 

You were injured, and you didn't know how badly.

"H-Hello?! Is anyone there?" You cried, voice echoing in the snowy silence. Your voice sounded and felt like someone had shoved cotton balls into your throat.

_What... What happened to me?_

You remember many things. You remembered your name, your age, as well as the basic details of your life. But when you tried to think back to whatever had happened to you that lead up to you lying in a snowbank in a remote area, the memory was completely blank. It was inaccessible; as if there was some sort of mental block in place.

You felt fuzzy.

You promptly vomited up the contents of your stomach as you stood, and you were forced to sit down on a nearby fallen log as the dizziness became too much. You wouldn't get far with exposed feet, you'd get frostbite if you walked in the snow unprotected, especially when it was as cold as it felt. You couldn't feel your fingers or toes. You wrapped your arms around yourself in an attempt to get any kind of warmth, but it was hardly effective. 

_Come on, (Y/N), think._

You had to survive. You didn't want to freeze, and you would if you didn't move.

You had to find help before you succumbed to exposure; before you died somewhere where you were sure nobody would ever find you.

_Think._

You didn't want to die, to freeze.

You felt along your body for anything that could be useful, fingers brushing against something slim and rectangular in the pocket of your pants. You hurriedly dug the phone out, but no matter how many times you pressed the power button, nothing happened. The device was dead, even if it was miraculously dry.

_Damn. I need to move. I can't die here._

If you wanted to get anywhere, you'd need to find some way to improvise some sort of cover for your feet. You needed to find something to cover your exposed arms, your head. You were losing body heat, and to make it worse, you didn't know how long you'd been laying in the snow. There was blood flecked in the snow where you'd woken up, and that distressed you. 

_I gotta remember what happened._

You heard something snap, and you looked around warily to try and find the source of the noise. You nearly slumped over as another wave of nausea washed over you. You were injured and vulnerable, and if whatever was there wanted to hurt you, it basically had a free pass. 

You heard the crunch of snow under boots, and instead of a masked figure or some large animal, it was a man.

He was tall and slim, even if he had a broad build. His hair was as white as the snow, skin the color of porcelain. He had mischevious features, though he was still handsome in a roguish way. His angular eyes were almost royal blue, even if they were slightly lighter than the textbook shade. He looked like the type to play practical jokes on others just for the fun of it. He was dressed in winter boots and jeans paired with a thick white sweater, all of which was worn under a slightly oversized blue parka with fur lining on the hood. 

He approached you slowly, putting his gloved hands up in front of him in a display of his harmlessness, attempting to comfort you. Your fight or flight instincts were activated regardless, however, you didn't know this man or what his intentions were. But from the wary expression on his face, you didn't think he was going to hurt you. You tentatively let your guard down just a fraction 

He cleared his throat just a little, moving to half-crouch in front of you. "You alright, sweetheart?"

His voice was a low and slightly raspy baritone laced with a light but noticeable New York accent. You obviously weren't alright. You tucked your feet up under your body to try and warm them, but it didn't work.

"I- I don't know. Where am I?"

"Just outside of Snowdin. Do you need help?"

Snowdin. You knew Snowdin. It was nearby where you lived, just a few miles out.

"I'm hurt," you said softly, and the man gave you a lazy grin. His canines were abnormally sharp. 

"Yeah, that's obvious. You're chilled to the bone."

You stared at him strangely after he paused, but he sighed, removing one glove. There was a skeletal hand printed on the top, similar to the glow in the dark ones you saw people wear when you were much younger.

He pressed his palm, which was pleasantly warm, against your forehead for a few seconds.

"You've got a fever, it seems," he said, I'll take you someplace warm, okay? Can you stand?"

Your head throbbed in response. "I don't want to try that again."

"Ah, no shoes. Alright, I'll carry you."

Being tucked against a warm body right then sounded incredible, so you didn't protest when he lifted you up and folded your shivering form into his arms, halfway wrapping his coat around you.

"What's your name, kid?"

You were taken aback by the nickname. He didn't look all that much older than you. 

"It's (Y/N)."

"Alright, (Y/N). Name's Sans."

You blinked. "Is that short for something?"

"Nah. It's just Sans."

You tried to pull yourself closer to his body to absorb more of his warmth, but your arms were weak. You needed to warm up.

Sans shifted you so you were more inside the coat than before, still in his arms. His body heat was a very welcome thing, and you let your head fall to rest in the crook of his neck.

"What happened to you?" He asked, glancing down at you and you furrowed your eyebrows, shaking your head.

"I can't... remember for some reason."

"Hey, that's fine. We'll get you patched up and into a nice warm bath and then we'll see what you can remember. That sound good?"

A hot bath sounded incredible. You nodded. 

"Yes, thank you."

You tried to avoid going to sleep in his arms like you so desperately wanted to; you'd been warned about sleeping with a concussion, which was what you most likely had. You felt dizzy if you moved your head around too much, but it was getting a little easier. 

"I'll get you some dry clothes from a friend, okay? No need to let you catch your death in these."

You nodded lightly, pressing your frigid hands to your stomach to warm them, and since you had a new source of heat, you were able to bring the feeling back into your fingertips. The snow was still falling, and it had only picked up since Sans had found you, sending flakes into your eyelashes and hair. You curled closer.

"Almost there, kid. Hang on."

The nickname struck you as odd. He didn't look much older than you.

You soon came onto a trail, which meant you were in a nature park of some sort. 

"How... how did you find me?" You asked, and Sans gave you that lazy grin again. 

"I heard you call out and went to investigate. Can you tell me what you remember, if anything? If you can't, forgeta 'bout it." He said the last part as if it was one word.

You shook your head. "I don't... All I know is I woke up in this forest and that I somehow got hurt. Something or someone hurt me. Since I'm in my pajamas, I figure I was dumped here because I'm really not dressed for this. Someone..."

Your blood ran colder than it already was. "Someone left me for dead."

You saw his expression darken. "You got any idea why?"

"No," you said forlornly, "I wish I did... I wish I knew what I did to make someone try to kill me. I would have died out there if it wasn't for you. Animals would have gotten to me if the hypothermia didn't."

"You wanna go to the police?"

You considered this, but without any telling evidence, there wasn't much they could do. You could certainly file a report, though, but for now, you just wanted to get warmed up.

"I should, shouldn't I?"

Sans chuckled. "That's up to you, buddy. But you obviously didn't do this to yourself, so I think the police would want to get to the bottom of this."

You reached the end of the trail and began walking along a paved road after passing through a deserted parking lot. 

"My house is close to here, on the edge of Snowdin. I usually drive, but I like walking in the snowfall. Sorry bout that."

You sighed, the noise shaky as his heat began to permeate your skin. "It isn't your fault, you didn't know you'd find an injured woman in the snow."

Sans smiled. "That's true, I guess. But still, it would be more convenient if I had my car. The house is about a quarter of a mile out, so just hang tight."

You agreed quietly, but you didn't carry the subject. You found it strange that Sans was walking on a day like that with his coat unzipped with no scarf or hat, or how he was as warm as someone who was inside a building instead of out in the falling snow. But you weren't complaining of the heat, you gladly welcomed it. It just struck you as odd. You didn't bring it up.

Sans began softly humming a tune you didn't recognize, and it calmed you somewhat. 

"You can sleep, y'know. I won't stop ya."

You shook your head. "I shouldn't. I think I have a concussion. I've always heard that I shouldn't sleep if I have a concussion."

"Oh, right, I forgot about that. I'll have Alphys take a look at ya. She's technically not a doctor, but I think she'll know a thing or two. Toriel might be able to help, too."

You made your way through a small neighborhood before coming to a stop before a house. It was a nice house, made of unpainted brown wood with a large gabled roof and Christmas lights lining the gutters. Warm light spilled through the windows onto the snow. Sans paused as he set you gently down on the doormat, digging through the pocket of his parka for a ring of keys, which he used to unlock the door. 

He ushered you inside.

There was a green couch against the wall beside the door, a large television across the room on a stand. A wide doorway opened to what you assumed was a kitchen. A staircase led up to what was probably bedrooms. There was also a fireplace on the wall farthest from you, and a fire was crackling in the hearth, filling the room with a pleasant heat. You felt a sharp shiver pass through you as you slowly stepped closer, the dampness of your clothes beginning to itch as it thawed. You pulled your dead phone from your pocket.

"Does that need to charge? I have a charger. It should be in that outlet beside the couch.

You muttered your thanks as you passed to the charger, then plugging your phone in. The battery was so depleted that the charging symbol didn't even appear on the screen. 

You walked on your knees to be closer to the fire.

"My clothes are wet," you said, and Sans sat down on the couch to unlace his boots.

"I'll call Undyne and Alphys. I don't think any of my or my brother's clothing will fit ya well."

You smiled weakly. "Thank you."

He stood, crossing to help you up. "Before I do that, why don't I run you a bath? You look like you could use some hot water."

You didn't protest.


	2. Clean

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My first draft of this chapter got deleted? I'm mad.
> 
> But also, I'm really enjoying this AU, so I wanna keep writing.

After Sans ran you a bath, and when you were alone and stripped of your dirty clothes, you caught a glimpse of yourself in the mirror.

You looked like a nightmare.

Your hair was slightly damp from your nap in the snow, but it was knotted around your head as well. Your left temple was matted with dried blood, purpling bruises darkening the skin around it. You also had a bruise ringed around your eye, but it wasn't as severe. There was a cut above your left eyebrow and one going through the right corner of your mouth. You found the source of the bloodstains on your shirt.

There was a shallow gash on your right side, extending diagonally for about six inches from the bottom of your ribcage to nearly the top of your hipbone. It almost looked like you'd been slashed. It was clotted, meaning you'd had it for a while, the skin around the abrasion shaded purple and red. There was also a large bruise that started on your hip and spilled onto the top of your thigh, and you had scrapes on your knees and shins.

The only question was why.

_Why can't I remember?_

There was blood under your fingernails.

You froze as you looked at it. 

_Is this... mine?_

_Did I fight back?_

_Is this my attacker's blood?_

You opened the cabinet above the sink and pulled a nail file from a small case full of manicure tools, then grabbed a tissue from the box on the back of the toilet. You carefully scraped some of the blood from under your nails and dropped it into the tissue. You'd give it to the police once you could, or you'd find some way to find out who it belonged to. 

After another glance at yourself in the mirror, you crossed to the bath.

The water was warm, but in your half-frozen state, it felt like it was burning you. You had to ease yourself into the tub so you could get used to the water a bit at a time. It stung your wounds, and you had to be gentle with your bruised head to clean the blood from it. The water was tinged pink once you'd finished washing, so you had to drain it and refill it to avoid sitting any longer than you had to in your own blood and filth. 

You curled in against yourself in the water as it began to rise again, enjoying your returning heat as your temperature began to return to normal. Well, more normal than before. Sans told you that you had a fever when he found you. You'd have to ask for some medicine to break it when you got out of the bath. You'd have to wait for that, though. You didn't have any other clothes to wear besides your bloodstained ones, and those were damp and cold and understandably not appealing. 

It felt good now. The water felt cleansing and pleasantly warm, and you sank down so your nose was just above the waterline, your hair fanned out around your head. You felt like crying, but you didn't know why. You didn't know what had happened to you, but you still felt more terrified than you'd ever felt in your life.

_What am I scared of?_

_I gotta find out what happened to me._

You let yourself relax to the thrum of the water as the bath refilled. You were gaining more feeling in your fingers and toes. But you still felt uneasy. 

You stretched your legs out to lay them straight, reclining back against the tub. Your side was stinging as the water cleaned it, and you let your fingers lightly trace around it.

_I want to know who hurt me._

There was a knock at the door. 

"Sans?" You asked.

"Nah, not Sans."

It was a woman's voice. You sighed, moving to press your bare breasts against the side of the tub in an attempt to conserve your modesty.

"Come in."

It was a woman like the voice suggested. She was tall and somewhat buxom with long scarlet hair pulled back into a ponytail with bangs framing her face, the left side slightly longer than the right. She had an eyepatch over her left eye, but the eye that was exposed was an odd golden color. She had some kind ethereal beauty about her, even if she had a slightly mean face. She was wearing a black tank top with the logo for some rock band on it layered with a large cream cardigan and dark jeans. There was a necklace with a large red stone around her throat. Her teeth were oddly sharp when she smiled at you.

"Uh," you said, feeling a little exposed, "yeah, not Sans."

She chuckled, setting the fresh clothes she was carrying on the toilet lid. 

"Nah, I'm Undyne. Just here to bring ya some clean clothes. You got hurt, right? Do you remember anything?"

You assumed that Sans hadn't told her the whole story, or if he did, Undyne was just trying to get more information.

"Not much. I woke up in the forest, injured. Someone... Someone left me to die out there. I don't know why or even who it was."

Undyne's expression was unreadable. "You're (Y/N), right?"

"Right."

"My girlfriend Alphys will be tending to your wounds when ya get out of there. She's shy, so be gentle with her or I'll kill ya."

She said it like she was joking, but the look in her eyes was deadly serious.

_That's... A little adorable._

"I'll be gentle. Thank you, Undyne."

She left a few moments later, and you got out of the tub after you decided you were warm enough. 

The clothes she'd given you were soft. There were a pair of fluffy blue socks, some pajama pants patterned with fish scales, and a t-shirt that had a cutesy character from some magical girl anime emblazoned across the front. The shirt was a little big on you, and you had to roll the waistband of the pants to keep them from dragging too much on the ground, but they were comfortable. You'd even been given a pair of fresh underwear, which you appreciated, but you were also a little miffed about. 

You took the tissue with the blood flakes in it and wobbled down the stairs, using the banister to keep yourself upright, sitting down heavily on the couch when you reached it. 

There was a skeleton in the kitchen.

It was dressed in a red sweatshirt with some sort of shield logo on the front and a pair of jeans. You thought it was a prop until it turned around at the sound you made when you sat.

"What the... What the literal fuck?"

The skeleton approached, and you began to scream, startling it. 

You heard a door slam upstairs and Sans ran into the room, but he didn't seem surprised at the skeletal guest.

"Papyrus, change your form, you're scaring her."

Papyrus nodded, and in a flash of orange-red light, there was a man standing in the skeleton's place. He was taller than Sans by several inches, his hair the same color as his as well, though he wore it parted to the left instead of left messy like Sans's was. He had a kind face and handsome features, his eyes the same rusty color as the light you'd seen before. 

"I have forgotten that my true form, as great as it is, is alarming to those who have never seen it before," Papyrus said, face lightly pink. His voice took you by surprise. It was rough and scratchy, a little lower than Sans's.

"What-" you said, mind going into panic mode, "excuse me, what?!"

Sans sighed, taking a seat on the couch beside you. 

"I was gonna tell you we were monsters, but at a later time since you've already been through a lot today. In Pap's defense, he didn't know you were here. He just got back from a trip to the store. And yes, before you ask, I'm like him."

You swallowed. "Okay, but what exactly are you?"

"Both of us are demons. Our natural forms are... Skeletal. We usually just call ourselves skeletons."

You didn't know what to say other than: "Oh, okay."

You noticed two more people in the kitchen. One of them was Undyne, but there was another woman beside her. She was short and full-figured with shoulder-length blonde hair pushed back and away from her face by a green headband. She had sweet, kindly features and wide green eyes shielded by circular glasses. She was dressed in a tan sweater dress and ribbed tights, a thin green belt around her waist. 

"Are they monsters, too?" you asked quietly, and Sans nodded. 

"Yup. Undyne's a water nymph and Alphys is a demon, but she's a bit more low-level than me and my bro."

You felt like someone had strapped you in a car and flung you off a cliff, utterly floored by the new information.

"So wait, you're telling me... myths are real?"

"Oh yeah. Most things from legend are, though there are a lot of misconceptions. The people who say all demons are evil clearly haven't met the right demon."

You put your head in your hands, wincing when you accidentally pressed on your bruised temple. "I feel like I'm gonna be sick."

"Ey, Alphys! She's here," called Sans, grabbing the attention of the blonde woman. She smiled shyly before taking a small bag from the counter beside Undyne, crossing to sit beside you.

"Hi," you said, "I'm (Y/N)."

Her eyes fell to your shirt. "That's my shirt. Sans... He said you needed clothes, so I gave Undyne one of my favorites. D-Do you like anime?"

You smiled. "Yeah, I do, but I don't know this one. Maybe once I can walk straight you could tell me about it?"

That seemed to bring her out of her shell a little, and you watched as her eyes sparkled. "Oh, that would be just great. I'm sure you'll love the series, it's really good!"

You found her quiet joy intensely endearing. 

"Excuse me," she said quietly as she pushed your hair away from your temple, "I-I'm gonna be touching you now. I promise I'll be gentle, okay?"

She shifted awkwardly, then opened the case to reveal a plethora of medical supplies and topical ointments. She dipped a cloth in antiseptic and pressed it gently to your temple, recoiling when she heard you hiss at the sting.

"I-I'm so sorry! Am I hurting you?"

You sighed. "It's okay, it's inevitable since I've been so cut up. Just be gentle, okay?"

She looked at you with soft eyes. "Of course."

This went on for some time, and Alphys soon bandaged your wound by means of disinfecting and bandaging it, then wrapping a length of gauze around your head. She then shined a small penlight in your eyes, telling you to follow the beam, which you did, even though it hurt your head. You had a moderate concussion, she told you, and you could sleep as soon as the dizzy spells went away. She also told you whatever wounded you had been blunt, like a bat or some kind of weapon of convenience. She gave you some Tylenol to help with the pain, which you took.

"Lift your shirt, please," she said, and you gingerly did so, well aware that your bare skin was visible now. Because of the size of the cut, if you lifted your shirt any higher you'd expose your bare chest.

"Oh, dear," Alphys said quietly. 

She cleaned the cut and bandaged it, and you winced at the press of her hands, gentle as they were, against the damaged flesh. She muttered soft apologies as she treated you, and when you were finished, she hesitated before giving you a hug, careful to keep away from the injury on your side.

You then remembered you were still holding the tissue.

"There was blood under my nails," you said, unfolding the tissue, looking down at the dried blood in the center. 

Sans scooted closer, his shoulder grazing yours as he looked.

"I don't know if it's my blood, or my... My attacker's blood."

Undyne moved to take a look.

"I'll take that to the station with me as soon as possible. You should come with me to make a report."

You blinked at her. "You're a cop?"

"Yeah, a detective."

So that was why she asked you if you remembered anything else.

She ran back to the kitchen to take a plastic Ziploc bag from a drawer, dropping the tissue into the bag and zipping it closed. 

You pulled the leg that wasn't discolored by a bruise up to your chest.

"I'm scared," you said, "and I don't know why."

Undyne sat cross-legged at your feet, hands folded under her chin. 

"So what you told me was all you remember?"

You nodded, trying and failing to reach through the fuzziness to reclaim your lost memories. "I can't... I'm sure it'll come back to me soon. I'm sorry."

"'S okay. That crack to the skull must've made you forget. That or your brain is purposely blocking it out because of traumatic memories."

You reached up to the side of your head, fingers brushing over your bandages. You wished you could remember what had happened to you, anything at all. All you remembered was spending a night at home and then everything was black. The next thing you remembered was waking up in that clearing with snow falling around you, unable to feel your fingers. 

"Someone wanted me dead," you said, "and they failed to kill me. I don't... I don't know why; I don't know what I did."

You paused when you felt tears in your eyes. 

"Hey," Undyne said, "it could've been random. And this isn't your fault, 'kay? You didn't do anything wrong."

"She's right, buddy," Sans said, giving you a crooked smile, "but we're gonna find who did this to ya."

You nodded, relaxing against the couch, body aching. You were more disoriented than you'd ever been, and you were still chilly, even after you grabbed a blanket from the back of the couch and coiled it around your body.

"I just want to sleep," you said quietly, "I'm exhausted."

Your phone vibrated on the arm of the sofa, signaling that it had regained battery enough to switch on. You moved closer to it, looking at the screen.

You had notifications from games, as well as the general news. You had a few messages from worried friends, including one that was nearly indecipherable from your younger friend Temmie. 

_GoneZ is (Y/N)! PAls com bak Tem missEs u! ar u oks?_

You had to reread the garbled message a few times before you got what Temmie meant.

 _"I'm okay,"_ you typed, _"I'm not in town."_

_"wHrr.?"_

_"Snowdin."_

_"neEd ahINgs frM Tem?"_

_"No, Temmie, stay home, I'll be okay. I'm with friends."_

You weren't sure if you could call this group of monsters your friends, but it was better than worrying Temmie with the whole horrible truth. She sent back a large amount of heart emojis, then went quiet, seemingly content with the reassurance that you were okay.

If 'okay' was even part of what you were.

"You can sleep," Alphys said, "you don't seem to be developing any other symptoms."

"Do you want spaghetti? Since I made it, it's going to be great!"

"No," you said, "I don't know how much I can eat like this. I need... I need to sleep first."

You glanced over at Sans, but he'd dozed off, so you didn't say anything, simply laying down on your side and resting your head on a pillow, still wrapped in your blanket. 

You listened to Alphys and Undyne speak to one another softly, sometimes interrupted by Papyrus updating them on what he was cooking as you dozed off. You could hear the concern in their voices, but it was too quiet and far to make out.

Something was strange.

You fell asleep with that on your mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote Temmie's texts by not looking at the keyboard while I typed.


	3. Watched

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, so this isn't a daily thing, I just have a lot of ideas. Just an FYI. 
> 
> <3

When you woke up, it was dark and the living room was empty. You'd been tucked into layers of blankets, head and body propped up against several pillows. You were pretty sure your fever had broken. Everything was quiet. You reached for your phone, which told you the time was 1:26 AM. 

You felt like you were being watched.

You tugged the blankets closer to your chest, eyes scanning the room for any signs of life, but even when you didn't find any, you didn't feel secure enough to go back to sleep. 

You spotted a heater by the couch where you were laying, and it made you feel pleasantly warm.

You glanced out the window behind your head, but you found nothing there, only the snow that had plastered itself against the windowpane, continuing to build as the flakes fell. The weather had grown less heavy than it had been when you'd arrived, but you could still see the snowflakes in the glow of the porchlight. But there was nothing there that could be considered unusual.

The room was quiet save for the soft whirring of the heater, and it sent an uneasy feeling through your body. 

You rummaged through the drawer in the table beside the couch, finding a video game controller, a pair of broken earbuds, a USB port, several pens, and a blue pocket knife that had trouble unfolding but worked regardless. There were various other features besides the blade, including a nail file, a screwdriver, a small pair of pliers, and a small pair of scissors. 

It didn't make you feel much safer. You knew next to nothing about fighting with a knife, or combat in general for that matter. You could run and hide, but if push came to shove, you probably wouldn't be able to fight someone off. But you didn't want to sit and wait.

_I should find Sans. Or Papyrus. They might know what to do._

But something was telling you not to get up. 

You didn't have Sans's phone number, so you couldn't text him, and shouting felt like a terrible idea for obvious reasons. 

If you were to get up and run in your still disoriented state, you'd be caught if something actually was there fairly easily, so you put that idea to bed. You didn't know what to do but wait to find out if anything was even in the room with you, but it made you feel like a sitting duck. You looked up at the staircase, trying to judge if you could make it far enough to get help.

You unfolded the knife. 

_Something is wrong._

You took your phone from beside you, turning on the flashlight.

There was still nothing there, or at least nothing you could see clearly. 

_I'm not worried about nothing, am I?"_

You needed to get out of there.

_Scratch... Scratch... Scratch..._

You flinched at the sudden noise, head swiveling to find the source, but there was still absolutely nothing there. It was erratic in its frequency, either coming in frenzied bursts or in rhythms. 

_Yeah, that's a whole bucket of nope._

As soon as you moved to stand, the noise stopped abruptly mid-scratch, making you sit back down.

_There's something there._

_I have to run._

You pointed the short knife out into the air like some kind of warning, slowly standing and backing up towards the staircase. You could stand steadily now, which was a blessing, but you weren't sure for how long. 

The scratching started up again, and you crept back onto the first step, wincing at the loud creak it made when you applied pressure to the surface. 

_Come on, (Y/N)._

Your breathing was heavy, and you tried and failed to keep it steady. 

You heard something fall in the kitchen

You weren't an idiot in a horror movie, so you didn't call out asking who was there, but you sure wanted to.

_Nope. Not today, Satan._

You quickened your steps, climbing the stairs one by one until you reached the top, eyes furiously scanning the area for movement of any kind. 

The first bedroom room was dark and the door was closed, and when you tried the handle, it was locked. You had no choice but to get to the other one as quietly as you could and hope for the best.

The door was unlocked and slightly ajar, and you stepped inside and closed the door behind you. 

It was Sans's room, alright. And, it was, safe to say, a bit of a mess. There were shoes and books and articles of clothing on the floor, and the top of the dresser was decorated in odd trinkets. The bed was made up with a blue and black striped duvet, about queen-sized, green throw pillows on the floor around it. There were also dishes at the foot of the bed. The desk had a laptop on it, the space beside it full of books on what looked to be quantum and astrophysics, as well as notebooks and loose pieces of paper littered with complex equations and notes. There was also a trombone case beside the desk. 

Sans was asleep in the bed, the blankets tangled around his body. He was wearing a pair of black and white track pants and a white t-shirt. There was a pair of fuzzy pink slippers beside the bed.

You slowly folded the pocket knife after locking the door behind you, approaching him.

"Sans," you said, and when he didn't stir, you repeated his name, lightly touching his arm.

"D'ya know what time it is, kid?" Sans said, eyes still closed, voice slurred from sleep. 

"About 1:30."

"Why're you wakin' me up? I value my sleep."

He turned over, and you sighed.

"I think there's something downstairs. I woke up feeling like I was being watched."

Sans made a soft noise. "'S probably nothin'. Go back to sleep, kid."

You shook your head, which made you a little woozy from a little too much force.

"No, I can't. I heard... I heard scratching."

"Mice? Could be a stray cat."

You frowned. "No, it's not a mouse. It knocked something over in the kitchen."

Sans sat up, yawning widely and combing his hair back away from his face with little success.

"Fine. If you're so worked up about it, I'll go take a look. C'mon."

You followed him downstairs, and his expression all of a sudden got serious.

"Something's wrong," he said, eyebrows knitting together, "I can feel it in my bones."

You looked at him wearily. "Is this the time for puns?"

"It's always time for puns, kid," he said with a grin.

There was another crash, and Sans stepped in front of you.

"M-maybe it's just Papyrus."

"Nah, it wouldn't be him. He smells different."

You raised your eyebrows. "Smell? What do I smell like?"

"Like a human, but that's not the point. Something's in this house, and we gotta find it before it hurts someone."

His grin was a little more menacing, but his eyes were eerily serious. "No matter what, it's going to have a bad time."

Even if the statement wasn't directed at you, it still gave you chills.

"Wait, an off-topic question," you said, "if your natural form is a skeleton, why don't you sleep in it?"

Sans shrugged. "Changing forms requires energy I don't feel like using. So I stick to this one since it's also the most convenient."

There was another sound, this time from near the couch, and Sans turned, approaching slowly.

"Alright, the jig is up," he said, "come out before I make you."

"Do you need this knife?" You asked, but Sans waved you off. 

"I don't need a knife, buddy."

Sans crouched down beside the couch, and you watched as another lazy grin took over his features.

"There ya are."

He reached back and withdrew a creature from the shadows.

It looked like a cat, but the eyes were shockingly scarlet in contrast to its pure white fur. It had odd gold markings on its face and chest, and the air it gave off was so foreboding you had to take a few steps back.

"Nothin' to worry about, just a low-level demon. I'll put it outside, then you can go to bed."

Your eyes went wide.

There was something out the window behind Sans.

It was large and vaguely humanoid with unnaturally large blank eyes. A pair of terrifyingly sharp deer antlers were on its head. The body was gaunt and pale and bony, so much so that it didn't look the thing could stand on its own. Long bony hands that ended in claws were pressed against the windowpane.

You heard the scraping noise when it dragged its hands down the glass, clawed fingers slicing holes in the screen on the other side of the window.

"I-" You started, and Sans looked at you quizzically.

"What is it, kid? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I-"

"Spit it out, I don't have all night! I wanna go back to bed as soon as this thing is out of our hair."

You couldn't take your eyes off the creature in fear of what it would do if you did.

"I don't think the cat is the problem," you said, voice odd and too steady for the amount of panic that was coursing through your veins. 

"Whaddya mean?"

You lifted a hand, pointing. "Behind you."

Sans turned, and you saw his smile fall. 

"Oh shit."

The thing opened its mouth, which was full of too many teeth to fit comfortably.

 _"Oh, shit,"_ it said, seemingly trying to mimic Sans's voice, but it came out garbled and strange, like one of those dogs that could say a few words. 

You didn't look away.

"What is that?"

"A wendigo. Did you leave blood in the forest?"

You thought back to the flecks of blood in the snow you'd seen where you'd been laying.

"Y-yeah."

"Well, it found you through that."

_"You alright, sweetheart?"_

It tried using Sans's voice again, and it sounded the same as before.

Sans stood, letting the cat go. It curled up at the foot of the couch, watching him.

"It's been after you since the forest. If you hadn't woken up and called for help, it would've eaten you."

"Oh," you squeaked, "lovely."

A beat of silence.

"What do we do?"

Sans grinned, and you noticed with a start that the sclera of his left eye had turned black.

"Torch the bastard. There's no other option for something like that."

You hesitated. "Huh?"

"Some monsters kill because they want to and these monsters become corrupt. Some only kill when they have to, like me and the others, and they remain as they are. Wendigos are creatures born from evil, but they chose to be that way by killing and eating humans. There's no going back after you turn into one because of the unquenchable blood lust. And if I don't get rid of it, it'll continue to follow you until it gets its way."

"What do you need me to do?" You asked, and Sans simply walked towards the door, pausing to put on his boots, not bothering to lace them.

"Distract it. You can handle that, right kid?"

To be honest, you weren't sure, but Sans didn't give you a chance to voice this before crept through the door. 

The wendigo turned at the sound of Sans's boots in the snow.

_Distract it. I can do that. I think._

"H-Hey! You!"

The creature focused its attention back on you, pawing at the glass, a low snarl erupting from its throat. It sent cold shockwaves through your body, but you stood your ground. 

"Look at me!"

You were trembling now in fear, and the way the creature was looking at you wasn't helping.

Then, you heard a loud shout. 

"Geeeeet dunked on!"

There was a flash of light and the wendigo erupted into flames, emitting a shriek so loud you had to cover your ears. 

_"Quiet!"_ You heard Papyrus shout, his voice muffled by his closed bedroom door.

Sans shut the front door behind him after reentering the house, kicking off his boots. He was covered in some sort of ashy powder.

"I need a shower now," he said simply, "go back to bed."

You settled back into the blankets, almost stepping on the demon cat you'd forgotten was there. It ran off and disappeared into the shadows. 

"Thank you," you said, and Sans shrugged. 

"You're welcome, kid."

You listened to the water begin to run in the bathroom upstairs after he was gone, reaching down to move the heater closer to the couch. You closed your eyes, noticing the sense of ease at once now that the wendigo was gone.

But you still couldn't fall back asleep, even if you were exhausted. 

The world was a lot more terrifying than you ever thought possible. And on top of that, you had a mystery to solve.

And you were beginning to realize that said mystery might be more connected to your new knowledge than you'd ever thought possible.


End file.
